My cancer was diagnosed through a simple blood test

Charlie found out that she has stage 4 lung cancer through a new revolutionary test that can diagnose cancer through a simple blood test.

The test, which is known as circulating tumour DNA test or ctDNA, detects tiny fragments of DNA which can shed from a cancerous tumour into the blood. That test is now freely available on the NHS for the 15,000 people across England who are tested for lung cancer each year meaning they can avoid a traditional biopsy and get their results up to two weeks earlier.

Charlie, from Surrey, was one of a few hundred people who were part of the pilot which meant she had the ctDNA test, but also the traditional biopsy. As is often the case, Charlie’s biopsy failed which meant that without the ctDNA test she would have needed further surgery and would have had to wait longer to start treatment.

“I got the news when I was sitting in the bath on a Friday night. My consultant rang to tell me that the biopsy had failed but that thankfully they had done the new ctDNA test which confirmed that I had lung cancer.”

Scientists can sequence the tumour DNA to determine exactly what type of lung cancer Charlie had. Her results showed she has a genetic variation called EGFR meaning she was EGFR Positive.

“I was expecting to start chemo, but this news meant I could start a drug straight away which could target my cancer and avoid chemo. This was a game changer for my mental health.”

Since Charlie’s diagnosis earlier this year, the NHS has become the first health service in the world to roll out this ‘blood test-first’ approach to diagnosing suspected lung cancer, with the test to be used before traditional tissue biopsies.

I completed two terms at Sandhurst with cancer

This wasn’t Charlie’s first experience of cancer; she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was 22 and in the midst of training to become an Army officer at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.

“Three weeks into training, I fell off a rope and hurt my shoulder. That’s when I felt the lump near my collarbone. It took seven months from finding the lump until I had a biopsy and I was then diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”

Back then, Charlie needed chemotherapy for six months but she carried on with her Army training and was then posted to Northern Ireland before going on to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Charlie has completed 23 years service so far and has promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Her proudest moment was securing a slot at Twickenham for the Women’s Army Rugby team to play for the very first time for the annual match against the Naval Women’s Rugby team.

In September 2023, although feeling generally fit and well, Charlie experienced a few episodes of pain in her left shoulder and some unexplained breathlessness. She’d been training hard for a 300 mile bike ride in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of her father so she put it down to over exertion. However, after coughing up blood in the shower, Doctors spotted a shadow on her lung x-ray. It was this that led her to being diagnosed with lung cancer.

“Thanks to the ctDNA test, my doctors now know exactly what type of lung cancer I have and how best to treat it. I’m on Osimertinib (also known as Tagrisso) which is a targeted drug therapy that should shrink my tumour and I’ve been able to return to work and am about to go on holiday with my wife. I am very thankful that I was offered a ctDNA test that day which fast tracked my results and meant I could focus on next steps.”

Charlie recently visited the genetics laboratory at Guy’s Hospital in London to see first hand how the ctDNA is done and meet the scientists who have been pioneering the research into this test.

“I was very lucky to meet the team who have been working so hard behind the scenes to develop and validate this ctDNA test so that more people like me can benefit. It was fascinating to see and understand what the test actually involves and how accurate it is.”

Since Charlie’s diagnosis, she has started volunteering with lung cancer charity EGFR Positive UK to help other people with the same diagnosis.